Okay just stop. Stop it! I don't care if he goes to court 26,000 times to get a judgment for visitation. What effing good is it if he doesn't use it? Just so you know, leaving town for years on end with no contact does NOT justify visitation. You can't convince me you have gone full blown liberal in 48 hrs. It's ridiculous. Bottom line, you want to be a parent, be one, you want visitation then freaking be a part of the child's life. You don't get to just drop in after a 1,3,5 year hiatus and be like "daddy's home". You know better. Quit being obtuse. Just stop
You totally missed the point. I responded to a comment about how he has any kind of rights. My answer was based on legal principle, not my personal feelings (I see YOU are still on the rag). The law recognizes biological parent's rights and the law can/may recognize the fact that he has been to court twice to obtain visitation. On a continuum of bad parent behavior, he has done barely more than some parents who just disappear and never attempt to see their child. Doesn't make him anywhere near a good or acceptable parent but the effort to show up to court demonstrates (to the court) he at least has an interest. The law will also recognize that he failed to follow through on visitation and support payments but I doubt it's enough to permanently sever his rights as a parent. This has nothing to do with liberal, conservative, whatever. I have said it very clearly. Actions that are taken should be in the best interest of the child, not based on how the adults feel about this person. He's a deadbeat and behaved amorally. Like I said, I don't know what his demons are, but he clearly has some. If all he can manage to do is express interest than that's it. Other adults cutting him out of his child's life could very likely be damaging to her down the road. She'll figure it out. What I know is that parents often put kids in the middle of adult issues. Kids don't know how to deal with it or react to it. They aren't able to understand how they may feel 5, 10, 15 years down the road. They depend on the adults in their life to guide them. 11 is one heck of a confusing age. And regrets aren't something you can fix. So LaSalle's wife can move to sever the biological dad's rights, which would free LaSalle up to adopt. She could obtain a restraining order to keep him away from their property. She could go to court to revoke his legal right to visitation She could go to court to alter his visitation so that they are supervised She could keep money in pocket and just let things go as they are She could obtain an ad litem for her daughter which I think makes the most sense and the most affordable of the legal options It's really about taking legal steps to remove him from their life or dealing with the situation as is. Only they know what the right choice is. May I suggest a Midol?
They sure do and with a long history. For a long time, the courts did little to enforce alimony/child support and women/mothers without financial means to hire attorneys got screwed. Garnishing wages, etc certainly deals with that but now I think some states have gone way too far in the other directions. In some states, a man who is behind on support may not be able to register their vehicle or renew a driver's license. What the hell good is that? If he can't get to work, how is he going to earn money to pay? Conversely, for a long time, the courts almost always favored the mother in terms of physical custody and dismissed a father's attempts to gain anything more than visitation. I don't know how a parent can go from living with a child every day to seeing them just a few times a month and a couple holidays. It's absurd. In some states there is also an unfair burden for men to establish paternity or even claim a child if the mother wants to prevent it. There is something wrong with a woman making ALL the choices if the male wants to establish himself as the parent. It doesn't make sense to me that 9 months of pregnancy should trump a lifetime of a father/daughter relationship. I admire adults who can navigate custody issues without turmoil and keep the kids as their primary focus.
What you missed is WHY is a bio parent having to resort to seeking a judgment from a court? He has a responsibility to uphold and if he doesn't then his rights are forfeited. Mike drop
You answered your own question. One parent cannot terminate another parent's legal rights because they want to. Only a court can declare an end to a biological parent's rights. Child custody isn't a clear black/white issue with no extenuating circumstances. They aren't property. Decisions and choices have a lifetime of consequences. Courts are required because there are too many parents who can't, don't, or won't act reasonably or in the best interests of the child. You can stop patting yourself on the back now. I'm sure there must be bruising from your posts just in this thread alone.
